Though Kadarius Toney‘s first three seasons have secured him two Super Bowl rings as a member of the Chiefs, his career thus far has been extremely disappointing for a first-round pick. The latest example saw Toney fail to make Kansas City’s 53-man roster to open the 2024 season. Now, Toney will attempt to earn a contract in Cleveland after a reported workout today, per ESPN’s Field Yates. 
The Browns went relatively thin at wide receiver to start the year, only retaining six on their initial 53-man roster. Four receivers (Michael Woods, James Proche, Lideatrick Griffin and Jaelon Darden) already signed to the team’s practice squad, and third-year wideout David Bell was waived yesterday, leaving them with five currently on the active roster.
Cleveland was also recently on the losing end of the Brandon Aiyuk-sweepstakes after reportedly proposing to the star receiver a contract with an annual average value of $30MM, an amount Aiyuk would eventually accept to remain with the 49ers.
Currently, the Browns’ five on the active roster are Amari Cooper, Jerry Jeudy, Elijah Moore, Cedric Tillman, and Jamari Thrash. Tillman still has something to prove after a rookie season that contained 224 yards and zero touchdowns, and Thrash is still a fifth-round rookie himself, but Cooper, Jeudy, and Moore form what should be an extremely formidable starting three.
Cooper is the star of the group, and Moore was just okay as a WR2 in Cleveland last year but should be a pretty good WR3. Jeudy comes in as the new WR2 after four years of competing for the lead role with Courtland Sutton in Denver. The two traded success each year, and Jeudy’s lack of consistency has made it difficult to live up to his own first-round draft status. The hope is that he will be able to finally reach that potential in a new city with a new quarterback.
Toney was an electric talent with the ball in his hands in college at Florida. Since entering the NFL, that explosive big-play ability has surfaced here and there, but his inability to mature his game to an NFL-level in terms of route-running and good hands has prevented him from consistently being in a position to make those highlights as a pro. He recently met with the Seahawks, as well, in hopes of supplementing a diverse, talented corps in Seattle, but the visit didn’t culminate in a new deal.
In Cleveland, he would need to distinguish himself from Moore in terms of speed and big play ability. Moore has those same skills, but Toney has a bit more experience in terms participating in gadget plays. After Cleveland lost out on Aiyuk and waived Bell, though, Toney may be arriving at just the right time to earn a role with the Browns.
The incident took place in Georgia on January 14. According to police reports obtained by the outlet, Toney was accused of putting his hands around a woman’s throat “with enough force to cause her to be unable to breathe.”
